LONDON -- The World Gold Council is studying the creation of a global standard for gold kilobars so they can be deployed as collateral in futures markets and potentially encourage demand, sources close to the matter said.

Mike Kosares of USA Gold in Colorado, whose commentaries GATA often calls your attention, today starts a free daily letter analyzing the gold and silver markets and related markets. The headline of the first edition is "Does It Matter If the U.S. Government Shuts Down?" and it's posted at USA Gold here:

Rick Rule, president of Sprott U.S. Holdings, interviewed this week by the Financial Survival Network's Kerry Lutz, disclosed that in a few days Sprott plans to introduce a cryptocurrency that is backed by gold and convertible into metal vaulted at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa.

A tax loophole that reduces bitcoin investors' gains to zero will be exploited by people filling in their returns for this tax year, potentially creating millions in lost revenue for the government, experts have warned.

The People's Bank of China has ordered financial institutions to stop providing banking or funding to any activity related to cryptocurrencies, further tightening the noose since its shutdown of crypto exchanges last September sent digital currency enthusiasts fleeing overseas.